Day 227 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Give your character a chance to be young again.

Shannon: “So what are you saying, it’s like some kind of summer camp for adults?” I shrugged a shoulder.

“Basically, but instead the summer is all about team bonding. That’s all you guys have to worry about, just have fun and get to know each other again. None of you are allowed to quit until you finish this program. It’s in your contracts,” our manager Kim, explained, revealing more information about our real destination.

“It’s not going to work,” Elise shook her head and stared out the window, “Why do we have to drag this out?”

I pressed my lips to the side for a second, not knowing myself if this could solve anything, but then we pulled up to a sign and I heard the shock in the other three before I felt it myself.

“Camp Borrelli,” Jade whispered under her breath. It was the same camp where we had first met as kids.

“So will you give it a chance,” Kim smirked, already knowing eveyone’s answer.

Erin: Waking up in tiny bed under the roof of parents is an unsettling feeling. Not just because when I went to bed I was thirty and woke up thirteen, but because it seems wrong. Waking up to my mom slaving over the stove to make me pancakes was wrong. Saturday morning cartoons instead of the news was wrong. No alarm was wrong. Being taken care of instead of taking care of everything was wrong.

Or was it? Maybe this magical week or, day, or whatever it was could be a blessing in disguise. I decided I would cherish it.

Shannon: I got a tattoo of a star on my foot a few weeks after my grandmother died. I’d never lost someone I was so close to up to that point, and I had never permanently marked my skin either. On a whim one night, when I couldn’t stop thinking about how we’d never share another memory together, I decided to get it done. I didn’t want to forget her so I made her memory a part of me. The image makes me want to look up every time I see it. And when I look up I remember I’m alive, and I remember I’ve got someone watching over me.

Erin: I wish that I could say the little flower on my wrist meant something, but it doesn’t. Which is annoying because it takes twice as long to explain. When I try to say there is no meaning it takes about twenty minutes to explain to the questioner that I am hiding some deep dark secret. Sometimes I make up a fake story to ease the experience.

Day 225 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: What is your character’s favorite season?

Shannon: I love the summer. There’s nothing better than realizing you no longer have to snuggle into a warm jacket. Then when your skin is exposed, the world becomes your own personal heater. Plus the water warm up too, and you can swim, another one of the many perks of summer life.

Erin: I’m one of those weird people who loves winter more than any other season. The beauty of a city blanketed in white, glistening powder makes up for the life-threatening driving situation. My warm morning drinks tasted so much more satisfying. If I could spend my life wrapped in sweaters and blankets I would. I can’t get enough ice-skating and skiing. To me it truly is a wonderland that time of year.

Day 224 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: What are your character’s biggest insecurities?

Shannon: I’ve always been insecure about my height. I guess it started when I was younger, and taller than all of the other kids in my class, which maybe wouldn’t have been so bad if I was boy, but as a girl it wasn’t ideal. There were times when I felt out of place, and I felt like some kind of freak show. I wanted to blend in, but it’s hard to hide when you feel like a giant. Nowadays I don’t feel so out of place, because more people have caught up, but I still have moments when I’m afraid to stand up and I’m afraid to stand out.

Erin: She had the weirdest things she was embarrassed about: her laugh, which was adorable; her hair, which was a beautifully texture; and her demeanor, which warmed everyone around her.

Day 223 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Other than wisdom, what comes with age?

Shannon: As I’ve gotten older I’ve grown a better understanding of the people around me. There are so many different types of people in this world from my friends to my family, and they all take on life in different ways. Their differences and similarities never cease to amaze me. Though I’ve gained understanding, I’m still learning from each path I cross.

Erin: I’m looking forward to getting older. Sure, there are down sides like wrinkles and increased health issues. There are also fun things too though. With age comes less concern for what others think, retirement, freedom, and more experience to tackle life with on top of it.

Day 221 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: What is your character’s biggest secret?

Shannon: I’ve never told anyone this before, but I did something terrible once. At the time it was a harmless lie. I was covering for a friend. She wanted a night of freedom from her parents, so I helped her out. When her mom called I covered for her. I said she was in the bathroom, and that she could stay over night so we could finish a school project. What I didn’t know was that she wasn’t getting away for the night. She was running away forever. And what makes that worse, is I still know where she is. I may be the only one, and I’ve never told a soul.